Food processing tool

Abstract

There is provided an ice knife for a kitchen appliance, comprising two or more blades, said blades each comprising a main section arranged at the same height, the height being configured such that processed ice collects under the main section in use.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . An ice knife for a kitchen appliance, comprising: two or more blades, said blades each having a main section arranged at the same height, the height being configured such that processed ice collects under the main section in use. 
     
     
         17 . The ice knife of  claim 16 , wherein the height is configured such that the processed ice has a grain size of more than 0.5 mm, preferably more than 2 mm, more preferably between 3 mm and 14.5 mm. 
     
     
         18 . The ice knife of  claim 16 , further comprising a hub from which the blades extend, preferably wherein the height of the main section above the hub is between 5 mm and 30 mm, more preferably between 10 mm and 20 mm, still more preferably approximately 12 mm. 
     
     
         19 . The ice knife of  claim 18 , wherein the hub is configured to rotate in use about an axis of rotation; and the main section of each blade extends radially outwards, preferably substantially at 90°+/-10° to the axis of the rotation. 
     
     
         20 . The ice knife of  claim 18 , wherein the blades each comprise an inclined section extending from the hub, wherein the main section extends from the inclined section, preferably wherein the inclined sections are inclined at an angle of 30° to 90°, and more preferably 35° to 56°, to an imaginary line extending at a right angle to the axis of rotation, and/or wherein the inclined sections each extend in the same direction along the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         21 . The ice knife of  claim 16 , wherein the two or more blades have substantially blunt leading edges. 
     
     
         22 . The ice knife of  claim 19 , wherein the two or more blades have leading edges extending radially at an angle of approximately 90°-150° to the direction of rotation, preferably wherein the blades extend in a straight line. 
     
     
         23 . The ice knife of  claim 20 , wherein the two or more blades each further comprise a tip section extending radially outwards from the main section at an angle of between 10° and 55° to the imaginary line. 
     
     
         24 . The ice knife of  claim 19 , wherein the radial extent of the two or more blades away from the axis of rotation is substantially the same; preferably wherein the tip sections of each of the two or more blades have respective, different axial extents along the axis of rotation; and/or wherein the main sections have substantially the same length, and the axis of rotation is offset relative to a centre of gravity of the hub. 
     
     
         25 . The ice knife of  claim 20 , wherein the inclined section extends axially at least 12 mm from the hub, for raising the main sections to an axial plane suitable for ice-crushing. 
     
     
         26 . The ice knife of  claim 19 , wherein the blades and hub are integrally formed, preferably as a single sheet of metal of substantially uniform thickness. 
     
     
         27 . The ice knife of  claim 16 , further comprising an axially-extending stem for facilitating manual attachment/removal of the knife to a suitable drive shaft, preferably wherein the stem is substantially identical to one used on a chopper tool. 
     
     
         28 . A kit of parts comprising:
 a food processing attachment comprising the ice knife of  claim 16 , a container within which the ice knife is located, the container configured to receive ice therein for crushing by the ice knife, a motor seat configured to detachably receive a motor unit, and a drive shaft and/or gearing configured for conveying rotational drive from the motor unit located in the motor seat to the ice-knife for driving the rotation of the ice knife; and preferably   a motor unit, optionally a hand-blender motor unit, more preferably wherein the motor unit further comprises a control module configured to detect a presence and/or absence of the attachment and/or knife, and/or a lid associated with the container of the attachment, and responsive to this detection to carry out at least one of the following processes:
 a) present a user-interface corresponding to an ice-crushing mode to the user,b) prevent activation of a motor of the motor unit,c) limit the speed of rotation of the motor of the motor unit to within a predetermined range suitable for ice-crushing,d) where absence of a component is detected, present information related to the attachment of the component to the user,e) present a recipe to the user. 
   
     
     
         29 . An ice-crushing insert, said insert comprising a platform section, preferably columnar, and a planar, preferably discoidal, section attached or being removably attachable to the platform section, the planar section being configured to divide a container in which the insert is placed into an ice-crushing area and a crushed-ice-storage area, the planar section having apertures defined therein dimensioned to permit the passage of ice slivers of a pre-determined size therethrough, preferably wherein the apertures extend concentrically on the planar section with a tool bearing provided on the insert.